ELLE Recipes: Calamari and Watermelon Salad

Christmas lunch never looked so good.

“Throughout my career I’ve heard so many old wives’ tales about cooking. I’ve been told to add oil to pasta water so the pasta won’t stick. I’ve been told to add kiwi pulp to calamari to make it tender. All nonsense. All you need to remember is to buy fresh and in season and your calamari will be super-tender. The crispy vine leaves are not essential, but they are a great way to introduce saltiness to the dish.” George Calombaris, author of Greek.

Trim the skin from the watermelon and cut the flesh into thick rectangles about 15cm x 5cm. Store in the fridge until needed.

Heat the oil for deep-frying in a deep-fryer to 180°C (or in a heavy-based saucepan until a cube of bread browns in 15 seconds). Remove the vine leaves from the brine and pat dry with paper towel. Dust with flour, shaking off any excess, then deep-fry until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

Meanwhile, heat a chargrill pan or barbecue grill or flatplate until hot. Drizzle the olive oil over the calamari and season with salt and pepper. Grill the calamari until lightly charred and the flesh has no transparency.

Arrange the watermelon, olives and goat’s curd on a serving plate. Put the calamari and crisp vine leaves on top and finish with parsley leaves, a drizzle of olive oil and a final grinding of salt and pepper.

ELLE Recipes: Calamari and Watermelon Salad

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